An old college friend posted the link to No-Cook Berry Crisp on Facebook last week. I remember thinking, before I was distracted by the Old Spice Guy, that it looked pretty decent.

A few days later, berries went on mega-sale at the local supermarket.

The day after that, I found a long-lost gift card to Sahadi's in Brooklyn (the world's greatest specialty food store). The day after the day after that, I spent the afternoon running a garage sale on a hot driveway in the blazing sun, which both sapped my will to move/live and made cooking nigh-unthinkable.

Given that fortuitous (and rather warm) confluence of events, I had no choice but to revisit that fated Facebook link. Happily, everything worked out like gangbusters. A simple, seasonal, vegan-friendly treat devised by the good people at Whole Foods, No-Cook Berry Crisp is suitable for either breakfast or dessert. A dollop of yogurt will orient it more towards the morning, while a scoop of vanilla would make it nighttime-appropriate.

While its rawness might turn off folks more accustomed to traditional crisps, the lack of added oils and processed sugars makes this recipe especially welcome on hot July and August nights. This is to say nothing of the health quotient, which is pretty significant.

Ultimately, fate gets big props for this dish. Maybe free will have more of a say in the next one.